Citroen CX25 RI Familiale Automatic

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Launched at the Paris Salon of 1974, the CX is widely considered by enthusiasts to be the last of the ‘real Citroens’ before Peugeot took control of the company in 1976.

As the replacement for the venerated DS, the Citroen CX had big shoes to fill and was, in many ways, an evolution of the earlier model rather than a radical departure. Innovative and individualistic in the finest Citroen tradition, it took all the best parts of its legendary predecessor and added a few new tricks of its own.

Like the DS, it was styled by Robert Chapron, with flowing lines and a sharp Kamm tail that gave it a super-slippery shape (the name CX being the French equivalent of CD – the acronym for the coefficient of air resistance). It also inherited the wonderful hydraulics that controlled so many aspects of the car, all highly effective once mastered if somewhat unnerving on first encounter. Like the break-your-nose brakes and super-sensitive DIRAVI power steering, the latter borrowed from the Maserati-engined SM.

The hydropneumatic suspension gave a magnificently smooth ride that still astounds passengers today and made it popular as a camera car and as an ambulance. And while body roll was by no means restrained, grip was tenacious and a CX-sensitised driver could hustle it along very nicely indeed. Throw in the wonderfully idiosyncratic interior of the early cars and it all added up to an addictively unworldly package that made other cars drab by comparison. No wonder it won the coveted Car Of The Year award in 1975.

Initially offered with 2.0- and 2.2-litre engines, these were soon supplanted by bigger units and an estate version was available from 1976. The biggest change came with the launch of the Series 2 in 1985 which had a more conventional dashboard and plastic bumpers in place of stainless steel plus numerous minor improvements. In 1989 saloon production came to an end with the launch of the new XM, but the by-now iconic estate was continued (with bodies built by famous coachbuilder Heuliez) until 1991.

This September 1989 registered CX25 RI Familiale has been in the Stondon Museum Collection since 2001 with just two previous keepers according to the V5, the second keeping it for 11 years. Finished in silver with grey cloth seats (quite typical for the model), it features fully automatic transmission mated to a 138bhp 2.5-litre fuel-injected petrol engine which gave a 0-60 time of 11.9 seconds with a top speed of 115mph.

A full eight-seater and capable of carrying a huge payload – all in hydropneumatic Citroen comfort – it comes with a V5 registration document and has six stamps (to 46,518 miles in April 1994) in its service book. The current recorded mileage of 99,846 miles is thought to be correct. Although it is said to start and run well, it has not been used on the road since the last MOT expired in 2008 and will doubtless benefit from some precautionary recommissioning before being put back into service.

With only four CX25 RI Familiale models still road registered in the UK according to DVLA figures, it could be a long time before you see another one for sale so bid vigorously or kick yourself for your hesitancy hereafter!